Tram Lights and Blackpool Memories

Feedback required for another challenge please! An email all the way from France poses a question about the Brush tramcars still in use in Blackpool. Ron Wallman says:

"I am thinking of restarting a model of Blackpool tram 626 that I photographed in 1973. I have tried others but nobody has responded to the question; as to whether the slender green glass panels over the saloon windows were originally lit by the saloon lights on the Brush cars?

"The result would be a green band at night but possibly not well seen due to the internal glare of the car. I need someone who knew these cars and loves Blackpool".

Now then, I think that Ron is referring to the small panels that I have highlighted on the photograph. My answer would be that I can't remember them ever being lit, but do you know better? Complicating the issue, the Brush cars were not the original or only "railcoaches" as this shape of tramcar is officially known. Brush was the make. The 1934 originals were made by English Electric and then there were Vambac variants also. Add a comment or email me. bispham2[at]Hotmail.com

Ron contributes another memory of old Blackpool.

"My uncle was the Punch and Judy man and magician at the Tower for many years calling himself George Wallman. He was there in the sixties and seventies. He caused panic as he normally did a patter trying to wake Punch up and finally went into the booth to push him up. His wife, Betty, was a school teacher so she followed him to the Tower later in the season. George started his patter and to the extreme shock of stage hands Punch answered in his unmistakable voice with George still outside! Betty was in the booth!"

A wonderfully humorous and human story Ron, thanks for sharing it!

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